Comments on: Dark Lords of Cyberpunk Sore Vexed At Kessel and Kelly

By: Ira L. Madclaw

Ira L. Madclaw — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:28:40 +0000

If it’s any consolation, Science of Sleep was terrible.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:06:40 +0000

It wasn’t just the K&K anthology that made me discouraged last week. A number of other things came together at the same time.

The director Michel Gondry dropped his film option on my novel Master of Space and Time, for one thing. In an interview with the editors of Coming Soon last year, Gondry was already hinting that it wasn’t going to work out: “It’s very hard, because all of the reasons why we [Gondry and writer Dan Clowes] both like the book are reasons why the studio would not do a movie. It’s quirky, it’s unpredictable, it’s absurd, it’s funny, and it’s not slick at all. It’s rough and grotesque.”

Another thing getting my goat was seeing the latest Nebula awards ballot, with nothing of mine nominated, which makes thirty consecutive years of Nebula nomination shut-outs for me. I’d thought Mathematicians in Love might at least be nominated. I’m not sure I’ll ever write a better book.

I’m just about over it now. I have to let these things go, or I can’t write. Time for some yoga in the sunny back yard. And to be grateful for all the good career things that I do have.

* I’ve published 29 books and I’m still able to get my novels published, reviewed, and read and they’re reviewed more widely than ever.
* I’m invited to speak in Amsterdam next month, and they’re putting me up for free for ten days.
* I regularly get fan letters from people saying that my work has changed their life, and all of the SF writers that I meet have great respect for my work.
* I had a successful career as a professor and now I’m comfortably retired with no really intense financial pressure, so I’m fully free to write.
* I’m in good health and I’ve made it to 61.
* I’m going good on a new novel.

No problem!

By: Ira L. Madclaw

Ira L. Madclaw — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 01:12:41 +0000

Ideally, the men who win the Tiptree would be women writing under male pennames.

By: Steve H

Steve H — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:09:29 +0000

At ICFA there was some discussion of the fact that men keep winning the feminist Tiptree award, so you could actually do this collection, Ira. Rudy, K&K are both swell guys and I doubt they were thinking negatively about who they left out but more positively about who they could bring in. You and Shirley are obvious choices for a cyberpunk collection, but maybe not a ‘new cyberpunk’ collection. I started to ask what other Mirrorshades authors are included, but, er, let’s not even go there. I’m sure there was no intention to ignore or exclude either one of you. Hell, do your own collection: Dark Lords of Cyberspace would be an awesome title - imagine the cover?

By: Ira L. Madclaw

Ira L. Madclaw — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 22:35:20 +0000

No, please, Rudy, let me be earnest. christoph: The joke does not depend on an assumption that men cannot be feminists, but on the fact that women are to be specifically and categorically excluded from a feminist anthology.

This is not to criticize messrs. Kessell and Kelly, whom I believe should be left uninterfered-with, free to choose whomever they wish to put in their anthology. In my ideal anthology, the editor doesn’t personally know any of the authors and picks the stories entirely in the vacuum of their own personal taste and specific aims for that collection.

I hope Rudy’s and John’s feelings of exclusion spur them to new heights of punkish creativity and to carve out new niches for others of their ilk. (FLURB, for instance.) But I think the whole field would be better if it were more about the stories and less about who knows who.

By: Rudy

Rudy — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 21:13:36 +0000

The antic Ira L. Maclaw is seldom entirely earnest; his utterances are what Robert Stone terms Deep Play.

By: christoph

christoph — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 02:02:34 +0000

I’m working on a collection called GREATEST FEMINIST SF WRITTEN BY MEN.

At first I thought this must be a joke. But that joke would depend on the readers of Rudy Rucker’s blog assuming that men can’t be feminists, and surely you wouldn’t assume that.

By: linus

linus — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 21:01:38 +0000

…. and the Rhino cd sleeve exclaims: “from another dimension entirely….” “Golden Throats vol. 4: Celebrities Butcher Songs of the Beatles,” contains perhaps one of the strangest and most chilling cover songs ever recorded: “The Brothers Four” lazy sluggish version of “Revolution.” Listening to this can be unhealthy…. (listen to a sample on amazon)…. or the intrepid cyberpunk can actually buy this out of print cd….
what I always really wanted to hear was Alan Sherman singing “Axis: Bold as Love” on acoustic guitar…. yet this unfortunately does not exist…. “Just ask the Axis, he knows everything” in a smart-alec voice….

By: Rudy

Rudy — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:14:45 +0000

Thanks for all the support, guys. I feel a lot better now. This is a good thread.

Special thanks to John Shirley for partnering up as hard cop for my soft cop. And visual thanks to Ira L. Madclaw of Dim Crawl, ALA, for the Youtube links:

Rezillos play “Flying Saucer Attack” is amazing, I didn’t know about them, I think that singer is called Fay Fife? Aka Betty Rebel? Her moves are so great. I understand they were a Scottich punk/novelty band with an SF theme.

And Paul Anka sings Nirvana’s “Smells LIke Teen Spirit”. Paul almost looks like an English professor! This cut is absotively, posolutely “widely acceptable” and “accessible” enough for Pete Seeger and Mel Torme Present: Woo Hoo! Punk Rock For The 21st Century!

And yes, Kelson, that picture is from Le Chien Andalou, I originally posted the image in connection with the Pixies.

By: Ira L. Madclaw

Ira L. Madclaw — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 17:46:19 +0000

Punk dreams die softly.

Youtube link for

Paul Anka sings Nirvana’s “Smells LIke Teen Spirit”!